Burnley have dropped their interest in Rangers forward Fashion Sakala with the Zambian international to remain part of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side this season, The Athletic has learned.
Vincent Kompany’s side inquired about the availability of Sakala, along with a number of other players of a similar profile at other clubs, but there were no discussions with Rangers as it was clear an offer beyond his limits would be needed to alter the Ranger stance.
It is understood that Burnley were prepared to offer between £2m and £4m for him as he is a player Kompany is aware of from his time at Belgian club Oostende.
They identified they needed to add pace and dribbling quality to their ranks, but have since moved on Southampton winger Nathan Tella, who is set to finalize a season-long loan move to Turf Moor today.
It is believed that there was only one place for this profile in the squad but a forward and a center back are still on the shopping list.
Sakala’s future has been a topic of conversation due to his limited playing time with Van Bronckhorst. He has yet to appear this season and recently suffered a minor injury which has further hampered his chances.
Despite only making 12 starts in 45 games since Van Bronkhorst took over in November, Sakala still scored 13 goals at the rate of one every 168 minutes.
Sakala’s preferred position is as a centre-forward, but Van Bronckhorst has tended to play him on the right flank.
With Antonio Colak, Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe as the forward three and Rabbi Matondo joining Scott Wright on the right flank, it may be the case that his minutes are spread across multiple positions.
However, the reason he was brought to the club last summer was because he offered pace that they didn’t have up front and is capable of playing fair on the front three.
He will have to work his way back into the squad, but all the players still at the club have a role to play, with the exception of Nikola Katic and Steven Kelly, who are free to find new clubs.
The Rangers have moved quickly to finalize their squad for this season by shipping fringe players Jack Simpson and Glenn Middleton on permanent deals in recent weeks.
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Source: theathletic.com